Improvement in sewing-machines



J. E. A. GIBBS. SEWING MACHINE.

No. 21,129. Patented Aug. 10, 1858.

NITE STATES I ATENT FFIC J. E. A. GIBBS, or MILLroINr, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-'MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J AMES E. A. Glues, of Millpoint, in the county of Pocahontas and State of 'irgiuia, haveinvented certaiunew and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the iollowing is a full, clear, aud'exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part ,of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a'rcar end elevation of the upper portion of the machine in part; Fig. 3, a front endelevation of the machine; Fig. 4, a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, of the spool-tension appliances; Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, diagrams in illustration of the hook or looper and needle at different part-s of their stroke, and showing their action on and with the thread.

The one portion of my present improvement relates exclusively to single-thread sewingmachines in which the thread is worked into a chain-stitch by the combined action ofa re volving hook or looper and reciprocating needle, as already secured to me by Letters Pat ent of the United States, hearing date June 2, 1857. I

' The other portions of my present improvements relate to a tension arrangement to the thread and spool, specially advantageous when working in concert with my improved form of revolving hook-herein specified, andapplicable to other kinds of sewing-machines besides the revolving-hook and reciprocatingneedle-single-thread machines before referred to.

In the following description only cursory reference will be made to such devices or parts as are common and well known in sewing-ma. chines of a special or general order, and some of such well-known appliances I shall not at all refer to heresuch as the automatic feeding'arrangement to the cloth, cloth-holder, &c as these may be varied at pleasure and form no part of my present improvements, Sufiice it, then, to say that the general construction of the machine issuited to meet peculiarity in operation of the appliances which relate to my present improvements.

The reciprocating needlearm A is here shown to work as a beam on a fulcruin a, near the rear of the machine, and made to oscillate by its tail end, being geared by connectingrod with an eccentric on. the hand -wheel shaft b. The needle-holder B is suitably connected with the needle-arm in front and guided as to secure to it by the action of the needlearm a straight up-and-down motion, and the reciprocating needle 0 is attached to the holder in any required manner. The bed or table 6 is of course punctured or slotted for the play of the needle with the thread through it, and forthe action of the cloth-feeding contrivance, if arranged from below. The thread (I is passed from a spool, 1), in the rear through an eye-piece, c, projecting from the needle-arm, and through a stationary ey-piecej' in front, down to and through the eye of the needle. The operatingshaft 6 is provided at its front end with a hook or looper, g, as in the ma chine alreadypatented to me,'before referre'dto; but the construction of the revolving hook is different, and its action on the loop brought down by the needle, andthe relative arrangement and operation of the needle to the hook, are also different,which change or peculiarity of form, action, and relative arrangement areclearly indicated in the diagrams, Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the accompanying drawings, though the form, action, and relative arrangement of the hook and needle are not, of course, rest'rictedto precisely as" here shown, so long as their peculiar character is similar. In my previous patented arrangement, which is well suited for certain kinds of work, the revolving hook opens the loop brought down by the needle, draws it sidewise, and holds it spread open in the path of the needle'at the next stroke, so that the needle shall pass; through it, and then. releases the first loop and takes -up that which is made by the last stroke of the needle, which withdraws and leaves the first loop held bythat now upon the hook, and so on in continuous succession. Thus two loops are upon the hook at one time, and the hook must necessarily be of comparatively large dimensionsto effect the action here only generally. described. The hook carried the one loop through the preceding loop. Each loop had to be greatly distended, and the needle having released itan'd not acting as'a guideto it, itwas consequ ently liableto kink, Z the needle having a restricted downward stroke to about or above the axis only-of the hook, by reason of the necessary peculiar configuration of thelatter. My present arrangement is very different. I combine the well-known advantages of a hook revolving in one direction only with the advantages of the reciprocating hook' approaching its position to take hold of the loop that as the needle retreats is caught by the revolving hook, as shown in Fig. 6, and asthe needle farther retreats is drawn or held and partially opened and twisted, as shown in Fig. 7 The needle farther retreating and the hook continuing its revolution, the loop is spread to its maximum of opening and twisted, as shown in Fig. 8, and as the needle again advances and hook continues to revolve, said loop, while on the hook, receives the needle through it, as shown in Fig.9, afterwhich thehook detaches the loop from-it. As the needle continues to advance, said loop is drawn up in advance of the hook, as shown in-Fig. 10, and the former loop wholly drawn up before the hook takes a fresh loop.

As in reciprocating-hook single thread sewing-machines, the hook or looper may be so constructed that the loop formed by its operation may be comparatively very'small, which is a great advantage in sewing-machines, because the liability of thethread to form vkinks is least when the-least quantity of thread is employed in the loop.- The needle passes the oneloop through the preceding loop, as in such machines, whereby the said preceding loop is kept from kinking by the needle descendi-ng while said loop is being drawn up over or on .and along A.

The spool D is fixed or pushed on tight'to a conical sleeve, E, that is supported and turns on two inner cones, F and G, one at either end. These inner cones are arranged to face in reverse directions, so that if pressedtoward each other they will bear endwise on the sleeve Einopposite directions to bind'it, and prevent or restrain it, and the spool carried by it, from turning. Disks might take the place of cones and be arranged to act equivalently. The

one cone, F, has an elongated spindle, h, on

which the other inner cone, G, is fitted and slides. This spindle has a screw-thread on its back end which fits into and through ascrewed hole in the standard I of the machine. Said spindle has a rosette, i, to turn it by. Back of the inner cone, G, is an india-rubber disk or spring, k, with a washer, Z, in rear of it, and against this washer a lever or arm, m, is brought to bear, and is so arranged that the tail end a of the needle-beam during its upward stroke, which corresponds with the downward stroke of the needle, rubs on or actuates said lever m to compress the spring 7c, andso by the sliding inner cone, G, being made to bear with increased tightness against the one end of the conical sleeve E, and the other end of said sleeve forced with increased tightness against the outer inner cone, F. The sleeve E, with its spool D, is securely held fromturning, or so that it can only be turned with difficulty. This takes place after the needle has had its slack or fresh feed of thread supplied it, which is done only at intervals, as usual in other machines, and need not therefore be specially described here. At the intermediate interval, when fresh thread is being supplied and the hook or looper is drawn down, spreading and twisting the loop, the conical sleeve E and spool Dis not so held, but left free to turn, or to turn more freely, by reason of the tail end? of the needle-beam not bearing at such times on the lever 1:. Thus is a variable tensiomproduced, which is to be regulated so that there be a certain mean or general tension as well. The spool, when free, should not run too loose or more thread might be let out than needed, nor need it be'so firmly held as to risk breakage of the thread. This general tension, as well as thearrangement shown in the drawings, admits of, by turning either the one way or the other, therosette t of the screw-spindle h, so as to wedge more closely or relieve of friction the inner cones and conical sleeve which carries the spool as'a fixture to it.

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and (lesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. So constructing and combining or arranging and operating. a revolving hook or 'looper with a reciprocating needle as that the one loop shall be taken from the needle after the former loop shall have been drawn up, on, along, or over the needle during its advance movement, in the manner and for the purpose substantiallyas" described.

2. The conical sleeve or.its equivalent for holding the spool and for revolving therewith, in combination with the adj ustable cones F and G or their equivalent for producing the requisite degree of friction upon the conical sleeve spool-holder, when constructed and arranged so as to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES E. A, GIBBS. Witnesses:

BENJ. DAVIS, Boer. MCMEEHAN. 

